THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST

Beginning in a Lahore cafe in 2011, Changez (Riz Ahmed), a Pakistani man, is being interviewed by Bobby (Liev Schreiber), a journalist questioning him about his involvement in the kidnapping of a local American professor. Just outside the cafe, tempers are flaring, and the already volatile situation is getting steadily worse as the usual suspects - college students - are being rounded up as they protest authorities, while also trying to keep the peace and simply be heard. Changez tells Bobby of his story, starting 10 years earlier, as he graduated from Princeton and found himself at a very prestigious firm as a business analyst. Extremely talented, successful and educated, Changez was living the American dream, complete with a beautiful artist girlfriend Erica (Kate Hudson) - but that’s all challenged with the events of September 11, and his life eventually unravels.

Tackling a story such as this and from its chosen point of view is challenging and risky. It has to be done right, it has to be done well, and most importantly, is has to be done for the right reasons and with conviction - go hard or go home. The entire film rests solely on the performance of its leading man - thankfully, Ahmed delivers. The English-born actor masters a powerful and rich yet subtle and nuanced performance that is unfortunately let down but the filmmaker's unwillingness to contribute the same.